29 May 2015 / by admin / in Uncategorized

Caberta

Head of the Working Group Scientology of the Authority of Internal Affairs, Hamburg

Activities of the state related to the psycho-market – example Scientology

Dear Friedrich Griess, ladies and gentlemen,

The so called market of cults or psycho-market keeps all those present here today busy in various ways.

The work and assistance of the associations for and with the people concerned is an essential ingredient in efforts to identify the problems and conflicts relevant to society as a whole. Even if for the various users of the wide-ranging psycho-market, individual fates may vary, experiences are always drastic. The range of choice is wide, from salvation preachers to vitamin gurus, to politically motivated groups generally wishing to assert power over people and society.

It cannot be repeated often enough that there exists a market with offers and customers. One hopes to buy healing, help to confront life, to solve problems at work and in families, quick solutions all costing a lot of money. And one buys spirituality – that also is a market phenomenon. Bought spirituality has nothing at all to do with faith. This is the part of the discussion that is much too frequently neglected and that is also the focus of discussion. Money is only one side of the medal; on the reverse side are the methods that urge people to stay, to continue courses that originally had only been started by curiosity. The noose which comprises mental programming, financial exploitation and dependency is the mixture that makes it so difficult for people working on this subject, to reveal the danger to concerned persons.

Frequently enough those who should be made aware of the problem as a whole, are to be found in politics and herewith among the State authorities. At the first sight it can’t be so difficult, considering the knowledge of the situation in the groups and in the psycho-market, to make clear the prevailing lack of freedom and the manipulated thinking in various communities. Enough is known. Proposals to political authorities have been made for the Federal Republic of Germany, and were comprised in the suggestions from the Inquiry Commission of the German Bundestag. In 2008 the final report and the proposals will be ten years old.

Also and especially in view of the worldwide discussion about the Scientology organisation which has been going on for several decades, one should assume that everybody understands that the expensive path to become an Operating Thetan with the supply of intergalactic places of war is not useful in a discussion about religion. But still, in spite of all that is known about the doctrine, it still seems possible to disguise the real goals of this organisation by a pretended religious discussion. Why? One reason is also that many cannot imagine that what the organisation prescribes in the instructions is really applied.

What is the role of the State in this confrontation? I think it should not be underestimated. Essential confrontations can only be driven by the State. For example the case in Hamburg to decide if Scientology is a commercial organisation with profits in mind. Such a case run in court can only be driven by the State, because it is the in State’s interest to know, who tries to move around in its area and with what mask. This case is concluded in Germany since 1995. Yes, they operate with the intention of profit. All those who know what happens internally will not have been surprised, but to obtain this judgement from the Highest Court of Administration is another thing. Worldwide there are other examples of judgements proving the character and the dangerousness of Scientology for people and society. Frequently in these confrontations, the ability of Scientology to guide disinformation campaigns, also to influence political discussion and to create insecurity, is underestimated.

“The war is over” announced Hubbard-successor and boss of the organisation, David Miscavige, at the beginning of the nineties. The Scientology people were enthusiastic; finally US-American tax authority had recognised them as tax exempted. Of course the organisation did not call this a tax exemption, but recognition as a religious association. But the agreement with the tax authority has little to do with that. In USA it is not difficult to be recognised as a charity, many groups and especially those claiming to be religions have this status. For Hubbard, his successors and herewith for his organisation this took a relatively long time, and the decision was just a preliminary. Nothing is known yet about a final tax exemption. Also in the USA, charity status does not mean the acknowledgement as a religion. But this does not interest the propagandists of Scientology, and many people accept this message and immediately we end up in a useless discussion. The public authorities in Germanyhave to remain neutral with respect to the total scope of the so-called cults and psycho-groups, but they should also warn, they are allowed to warn and they must warn, and of course with respect to religious convictions they are always neutral. How could it be otherwise? In spite of the neutrality of the State with respect to a community that has disguised itself with the belief of battles with Xenu, it was stated in Germany that Scientology works against the free democratic fundamental order of the Federal Republic of Germany. It is a new form of political extremism, as stated by the Ministers of Interior of the Bundesländer in 1997: an unconstitutional organisation. As such a statement can, in its clearness, only be pronounced by the State, and only the State also has the instruments to deal with enemies of the constitution: The Regional Offices for the Protection of the Constitution and the Federal Office. The case that Scientology has started against the observation by the Federal Office is not closed yet, but the judgment of the Court of Administration in Cologne is clear:

Quotation: “The imagination of the goals as given by Scientology itself and the clear hints given in the texts 15 to 20 that the plaintiffs (Scientology, U.C.) aim to remove the dignity of man (Constitution art. 1, par.1), the right of life and of corporal intactness (Constitution art. 2 par. 2) and the right of equal treatment (art. 3), are confirmed by further declarations. Thus it is significant for federations of persons who are unconstitutional that they calumniate and slander their adversaries and thereby deny their dignity of man”.

To many of the people present today, exactly the same happened and still happens till now, they are slandered, calumniated and deprived of their human dignity. To act against that is especially the task of public authorities. And not only in Germany. The claim of FECRIS to take care of the problematic also inside the European institutions becomes especially clear at the example of the character of the Scientology organisation. Let us hope that also this conference in Hamburg will be a step into that direction.

A former American scientologist (having spent 7 years in the “camp of forced rehabilitation”of L.A. in the USA), thanked France and Belgium for their “remarkable work ” (debates on the children in cults, parliamentary initiatives, votes of laws). He regards as scandalous that the recommendations of the Board of inquiry of the German Parliament have remained without a follow up for 10 years. Having acquired an inside knowledge of the internal texts of the Scientology, he is ready to inform and to testify.

Another former scientologist, affirmed that one could not, when inside, realize what Scientology, which rules that the end justifies the means, really is. This very morning, at the front door of the building, scientologists in lounge suits were giving out a leaflet on him and Mrs. Caberta, while filming the participants of the conference.

He recommends that the following scientologist practices should be absolutely forbidden :

– the audition, defined as “a police examination, which is based on a false psychological theory